The Shakespeare Thief

by Lionel Ward

Bookworm Elliot Todd realises his dream of running a bookshop in a small provincial town. Though he has yet to find his soulmate, he is for the most part contented. Then, one day, events take a dramatic turn. The death of the ‘Shakespeare expert’ Harry Nielsen, following a talk at the bookshop, marks the beginning of a tangled web of intrigue leading to a thrilling conclusion.

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2024

About the author

I have been an independent bookseller since 1989 years and am also organiser of the Taunton Literary Festival. I also wrote and published for 10 years a literary magazine covering art and culture in Taunton and West Somerset. The Elliot Todd mysteries are centred around bookshop owner Elliot Todd, his eccentric but lovable employee Aggie, his main employee and sidekick Esther, his history loving friend Cameron, his interfering but admirable mother and a whole host of other characters.

Reviews

[Jerry Chick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather disappointed in this book. Unnecessary parts made the story drag on. Was hoping for a surprise ending but, the person that I picked as the murderer, very early in the book, actually turned out to be the murderer. Can't really recommend this one.

[Debbie Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful cosy mystery set around in a university town's bookshop

A cracking combination of elements that add up to a fun and compelling read: a cosy bookshop setting seen from the bookseller's side of the counter (the narrator is the bookseller), a love interest bubbling under as the bookseller yearns for his assistant Esther, who declares herself unobtainable due to being recently widowed; the bookseller's lively elderly mother; lashings of Shakespeare, in the form of a stolen First Folio, a clash of professors, and a student production; plentiful outings to the town's university; lots of other playful literary references too; and a twisty, turny mystery stuffed with classic red herrings.

Another winner for me was the reference to Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey - one of my favourite fictional pairings that also kicks off with the hero falling for the apparently out-of-reach Vane. Bookseller Lionel Ward is just as much a confirmed bachelor as Wimsey at the outset, but a gentler, more vulnerable, less assured and rather sweet character that is engaging from the start.

I'm hoping that this book heralds a series in which the romantic angle will continue to run parallel with the mystery. A very satisfying read

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining...to a point, but about 50 pages from the end, the book suddenly turns into a vortex of events, random people, suspects, preposterous clues, wild goose chases--yet even with all that erratic activity, absolutely zero suspense! I said it was entertaining, and it was, except for all the pointless ramblings, which rather than acting even as red herrings, just served to pad out the narrative without advancing the plot. A crime in itself!
The protagonist, Elliot Todd, is a likable, if somewhat lackluster, character. He seems to be stuck in a comfortable rut that even a gruesome murder can't shake him out of! And as for his mother...WHAT?? A seventy-something woman with NO connection to the University, suddenly becomes its darling and is invited to participate in an important student meeting! EXCUSE ME?! What did I miss here?

This is yet another book, a mystery, supposedly set in the current time period, (copyright 2017) yet the setting is really in some kind of weird limbo, when cell phones were available, but mainly used only as portable phones, and computers were standard for some kinds of information, but not the go-to search engines of today! There is prominent use of answering machines, the phone book,
and physical research in brick and mortar buildings. It's fine if authors prefer the state of the world "in those days," but they should place the action in the 1990's and not try to pass it off as the 21st century!
As for the murderer, it was logical, but with murky, uninspired motivation--not to mention cliched!

[Doug Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

At his bookstore in England, Elliot Todd hosts a talk and book signing with Shakespeare scholar Harry Nielsen. But Nielsen disappears shortly after the talk, and his body is subsequently found in a back room of the store. An unidentified customer with a mustache is a person of interest, but the police have no success in finding him.

Not long afterward a valuable Shakespeare First Folio disappears from the collection of the local university. Are these crimes connected? Elliott and Esther, his friend and employee, can't resist doing a little investigating of their own.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery with its interesting cast of characters and stimulating literary conversations.

[Donald Harwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. I found myself being anxious to end up a day, so I could sit down with the book. I enjoyed the characters very much although they weren’t developed much, and “what you see, is what you get”. However, I really do appreciate it when a bibliophile is the center of the story.

I felt as if the story was dragged out in the last third, as tho the author felt the need to add extraneous plot lines at the end, almost as if he had to meet a certain amount of words.

I do agree with some of the comments that the ending was deflating.

However, for the most part, the book moved well, and I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I am looking to start the next story in the series.

[Elaine Westheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shakespeare Thief: an Elliott Todd Mystery, Book 1

I enjoyed the story which was both entertaining and educational, with regard to Shakespeare's work and trivia shared about him.

[Elizabeth Dodd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely done with all the trappings of a proper British mystery, complete with universaries.

[Sara Aye Moung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. I look forward to the second in this series